A wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens. AFP
A wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens. AFP
A wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens. AFP
A wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens. AFP

World

Europe

Where are wildfires burning in Europe?

Blazes edge towards homes in Greece, while European record of 48.8°C could be broken

Simon Rushton
Simon Rushton

July 19, 2023

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Soaring temperatures are threatening lives and homes, livelihoods and tourism as a heatwave grips Southern Europe, officials have said.

Wildfires were nearing residential areas on the outskirts of Athens in Greece on Wednesday, as firefighters worked to prevent the flames from reaching coastal oil refineries. Air water drops resumed at dawn.

Italy, Spain and France have also endured surging temperatures as a heatwave crosses the continent.

Greece

Wildfires west of Athens were still burning on Wednesday as water planes resumed operations over the towns of Mandra and Loutraki.

The area is close to the Peloponnese peninsula that includes Sparta, Corinth and Argos and a number of popular holiday beaches.

Firefighters kept flames away from a complex of coastal refineries in the Corinth area, a member of the fire service told Reuters.

“We remain on a level of high alert,” said fire spokesman Vassilis Varthakogiannis.

Four planes sent from Italy and France will join the efforts on Wednesday, authorities said.

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Greece was making “superhuman efforts” to tame the fires and warned that weather would be challenging on Wednesday.

One blaze broke out on Monday, about 30km north of Athens, and spread rapidly to reach Mandra on Tuesday, burning houses and forcing people to flee.

Dozens of homes were gutted and hundreds of people have been forced to flee.

Traffic was suspended for hours on two roads connecting the mainland to the peninsula.

Officials warned residents and tourists at Mediterranean destinations to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day.

A building destroyed by a wildfire in Mandra, north-west of Athens. Bloomberg
A building destroyed by a wildfire in Mandra, north-west of Athens. Bloomberg
A helicopter sprays water to douse a fire in Dervenochoria, Greece. AFP
A helicopter sprays water to douse a fire in Dervenochoria, Greece. AFP
People try to escape the heat by swimming at Poetto beach in Sardinia, Italy. Bloomberg
People try to escape the heat by swimming at Poetto beach in Sardinia, Italy. Bloomberg
A fireman tries to control a wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens, Greece. AFP
A fireman tries to control a wildfire in New Peramos, near Athens, Greece. AFP
A man cools off at a fountain near the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. Reuters
A man cools off at a fountain near the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. Reuters
A resident inspects his home, which was completely destroyed by fire in Dervenochoria. EPA
A resident inspects his home, which was completely destroyed by fire in Dervenochoria. EPA
Lemurs try to reach iced fruit at the Rome Zoo in Italy. AFP
Lemurs try to reach iced fruit at the Rome Zoo in Italy. AFP
Firefighters and volunteers work to extinguish a burning field during a wildfire in Saronida, south of Athens. Bloomberg
Firefighters and volunteers work to extinguish a burning field during a wildfire in Saronida, south of Athens. Bloomberg
Burnt trees after a wildfire in Kouvaras, near Athens. Reuters
Burnt trees after a wildfire in Kouvaras, near Athens. Reuters
A woman covers herself with a scarf in Avignon, southern France. AFP
A woman covers herself with a scarf in Avignon, southern France. AFP
A boy cools down at the Barcaccia fountain in Rome. AFP
A boy cools down at the Barcaccia fountain in Rome. AFP
People play in the shore of the Aguilar de Campoo reservoir in Spain. AFP
People play in the shore of the Aguilar de Campoo reservoir in Spain. AFP
An umbrella provides shade during a heatwave in Rome. The Italian Health Ministry has put out a red alert. EPA
An umbrella provides shade during a heatwave in Rome. The Italian Health Ministry has put out a red alert. EPA
Cooling off in a fountain in St Peter's square, Vatican City. AFP
Cooling off in a fountain in St Peter's square, Vatican City. AFP
Swanning about in the sun is child's play, near Messina in Sicily. AFP
Swanning about in the sun is child's play, near Messina in Sicily. AFP
The Tijarafe wildfire advances on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain. Reuters
The Tijarafe wildfire advances on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain. Reuters
Tourists are hot to trot in a horse-drawn carriage in Seville, Spain. AFP
Tourists are hot to trot in a horse-drawn carriage in Seville, Spain. AFP
A tree provides shelter from the sun in Thessaloniki, Greece, where a four-day heatwave has led to temperatures of up to 44°C. EPA
A tree provides shelter from the sun in Thessaloniki, Greece, where a four-day heatwave has led to temperatures of up to 44°C. EPA
A father and daughter are shrouded by mist from a public fountain in Bucharest, Romania. AP
A father and daughter are shrouded by mist from a public fountain in Bucharest, Romania. AP

Spain

In Spain’s Canary Islands, about 400 firefighters have battled a blaze that has ravaged 3,500 hectares of forest and forced 4,000 residents to leave their homes.

People have been told to wear face masks outside due to poor air quality.

Most of Spain is under alert for high to extreme heat, with peak temperatures of 43ºC forecast in areas near the Ebro river on the north-eastern mainland and on the island of Mallorca.

France

France is one of the worst-affected countries for heat-related deaths, many of which involved older people in city apartments and retirement homes without air conditioning.

Temperatures of up 40°C were expected in parts of southern France on Wednesday.

A record 40.6°C was recorded in Verdun, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, while high the Alps, the Alpe d'Huez resort registered a record 29.5°C.

Italy

The heat was also unforgiving in Italy.

Red alerts have been issued for 23 cities, from Messina in the south to Trieste in the north, with Rome and Florence also on the list.

In the Lazio region, which includes Rome, there has been a 20 per cent increase in medical emergencies over the same time last year because of the heat.

Teams of mobile health workers are visiting elderly people in the capital. "These people are afraid they won't make it, they are afraid they can't go out," Dr Claudio Consoli said.

Forecasters say the European temperature record of 48.8°C could be broken on the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.

At Lanusei in Sardinia's east, a children's summer camp was restricting beach visits to the early morning and banning sports outdoors.

In the Sardinian capital of Cagliari, pharmacist Teresa Angioni said there had been a rise in the number of people complaining of heat-related symptoms.

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While you're here
The winners

Fiction

  • ‘Amreekiya’  by Lena Mahmoud
  •  ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid

The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award

  • ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi;  translated by Ramon J Stern
  • ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres

The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award

  • ‘Footnotes in the Order  of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah

Children/Young Adult

  •  ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb 
Essentials

The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Results

2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.

3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.

4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.

4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.

5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.

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Ibrahim's play list

Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute

Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc

Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar

His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach

Also enjoys listening to Mozart

Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz

Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica 

Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil

A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdullah%20Khan%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPenguin%20Random%20House%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E304%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.1%22%20Super%20Retina%20XDR%20OLED%2C%202778%20x%201284%2C%20458ppi%2C%20HDR%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20P3%2C%201200%20nits%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20A15%20Bionic%2C%206-core%20CPU%2C%205-core%20GPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20iOS%2016%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%2012MP%20main%20(f%2F1.5)%20%2B%2012MP%20ultra-wide%20(f%2F2.4)%3B%202x%20optical%2C%205x%20digital%3B%20Photonic%20Engine%2C%20Deep%20Fusion%2C%20Smart%20HDR%204%2C%20Portrait%20Lighting%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2024%2F25%2F3060fps%2C%20full-HD%20%40%2025%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20HD%20%40%2030fps%3B%20HD%20slo-mo%20%40%20120%2F240fps%3B%20night%2C%20time%20lapse%2C%20cinematic%2C%20action%20modes%3B%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%204K%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012MP%20TrueDepth%20(f%2F1.9)%2C%20Photonic%20Engine%2C%20Deep%20Fusion%2C%20Smart%20HDR%204%3B%20Animoji%2C%20Memoji%3B%20Portrait%20Lighting%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2024%2F25%2F3060fps%2C%20full-HD%20%40%2025%2F30%2F60fps%2C%20HD%20slo-mo%20%40%20120fps%3B%20night%2C%20time%20lapse%2C%20cinematic%2C%20action%20modes%3B%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%204K%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204323%20mAh%2C%20up%20to%2026h%20video%2C%2020h%20streaming%20video%2C%20100h%20audio%3B%20fast%20charge%20to%2050%25%20in%2030m%3B%20MagSafe%2C%20Qi%20wireless%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Apple%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Face%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lightning%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20eSIM%20%2F%20eSIM%20%2B%20SIM%20(US%20models%20use%20eSIMs%20only)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Blue%2C%20midnight%2C%20purple%2C%20starlight%2C%20Product%20Red%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20iPhone%2014%2C%20USB-C-to-Lightning%20cable%2C%20one%20Apple%20sticker%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh3%2C799%20%2F%20Dh4%2C199%20%2F%20Dh5%2C049%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

You Were Never Really Here

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Starring: Joaquim Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov

Four stars

What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

On Women's Day
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)

  • Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs 
  • Thursday 20 January: v England 
  • Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh 

UAE squad:

Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith  

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

RESULTS

1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

New schools in Dubai
While you're here
LIVING IN...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Titan Sports Academy:

Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps

Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Telephone:  971 50 220 0326

 

Updated: July 19, 2023, 3:20 PM`
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